Firestorms 1/16th scale Australian infantry figure (PTO) has a bush hat and on the sweat band on the right side is an oval. Does anyone know if this is a metal unit/division badge, and if not, what it is. And by chance, what color it would be. Thanks in advance for any help. bob d.

The pugaree (pug-ah-ree) (sweat band) had the Unit insignia patch on it. This will be a cloth patch with different shapes and colours indicating the unit. I don't have a list of the units patches but I know that there were ovals, rectangles and diamonds, and they were generally single or two colour. The main colours were dark blue, light blue, red, green and black (from memory). I know my old unit with its heritage to WW2 was dark blue over light blue rectangle.

The rising sun badge is a metal badge that is on the underside of the brim of the slouch hat - and when that side of the hat is clipped up the badge then faces out.

Maybe a search of the Australian War Memorial site will help with the unit patches - www.awm.gov.au

Hey Brian, thanks for the feed back. After my google search and finding nothing on oval insignias, it has helped. Now to figure the units in the N.G. campaign to get the colors right. The rising sun badge was located on the under flap to pin the flap up and the unit badge was on the band if I take it correctly what you were saying.

If it's oval in shape, then it is the 8th Division, 2nd AIF. http://www.warrelics.eu/forum/insignia-flags-regalia/australian-colour-patches-158811/I don't think they ever made it to PNG apart for those that made it out and were then re mustered into other divisions. 6th and 7th Divisions were in PNG (see link above for colour patch). From memory the figure denotes a digger in the Singapore/Malaysia area in 1940-42. More than likely '41. Cheers Jason